ONE: ‘Global Rivals’ preview (Pt. 2)

ONE: “Global Rivals” is set for Manila on Friday night (April 15, 2016) and sees Ben Askren defending his welterweight title against Russian challenger Nikolay Aleksakhin. Here is my preview of the final four fights on the card.

For a preview of the first five fights click here.

145 lbs.: Reece McLaren vs Muin Gafurov

ONE Championship’s bantamweight division is stacked so it’s difficult to predict how the title picture will pan out but these are two top contenders. Muin Gafurov (10-0) is still only 19 but has looked spectacular in both his fights for the promotion, the Tajik fighter is a former Combat Sambo world champion and a top, top prospect.

Reece McLaren (8-3) might not have such an impressive record but he holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and is coming off a dominant win over top ranked Filipino Mark Striegl. Gafurov has a spinning back kick KO while the Australian was very effective with leg kicks in his last fight so they can both strike, submit and wrestle which makes this a very interesting fight indeed.

170 lbs.: Lowen Tynanes vs Koji Ando

Lowen Tynanes (8-0) burst onto the scene by beating up Eduard Folayang and he he has been punishing opponents with a wrestling based strategy ever since. The Hawaiian likes to take people down and keep them down and is dangerous with submissions and ground and pound.

Koji Ando (12-4-2) is more well rounded and has excellent Judo, a solid ground game and is a southpaw with a good straight left who has never been stopped. The Japanese fighter has an advantage in terms of experience but Tynanes fights fearlessly and this looks to be a very well matched lightweight bout.

145 lbs.: Geje Eustaquio vs Gianni Subba

Early in his career Gianni Subba (7-1) showcased some devastating striking but his ….View full article